One person was killed and several others injured in an explosion at a Gunvor Energy facility in Rotterdam’s Europoort industrial harbour on Thursday. The blast occurred around 11:30 a.m. local time on Moezelweg, where a subcontracted maintenance crew was working near a tank pit when the incident took place, the company said.
Rotterdam police confirmed the fatality and said there were no immediate indications of sabotage, though it remains among the scenarios under investigation. Authorities have not specified the number or condition of the injured.
Separately, power outages hit the port area, briefly halting operations at a nearby Exxon Mobil refinery, but the Port of Rotterdam Authority said the electrical failures and the explosion are unrelated incidents. Rotterdam is Europe’s largest port, hosting major refineries and petrochemical facilities.